The Ghost of You
by kyouya-haruhi-forever
Summary: Haruhi should've realized it sooner that perfect love only exists in fairytales. Yet she can't seem to let it go and move on. But as the shadows of their past begin to catch up with her, can Kyouya prove it to her that forever is never enough... for them?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Ouran is not mine.

**The Ghost of You**

**Prologue **

Haruhi used to like the rain. The sounds of water drizzling to the ground never failed to give her a sense of peacefulness. Yet it also brought memories that used to be so sweet but now only left her with a sharp pang inside her chest.

"_Haruhi you will catch cold if you expose yourself in a heavy rain like this," said Kyouya with a hint of displeasure in his tone. He pushed his glasses lightly while he watched the girl jumping happily with both hands wide open from the gazebo of the exquisite park inside his mansion._

"_I am not that weak, Sempai. Besides, I've been doing this since I was a kid. You should at least try it; it's fun!" _

_Haruhi ignored the calculating look that Kyouya just shot her and merely grabbed his arm as she added, "Come on…"_

_In the end, Kyouya only chuckled softly as he let himself being guided by the girl to walk together under the downpour. _

_He kept on staring at her intently for a moment longer before he asked lightly, _"_Haruhi, will you marry me?" _

_There was a trace of indifference in Kyouya's tone as he raised the question, although his face clearly showed otherwise. _

_He noticed that Haruhi looked extremely astounded upon hearing his words and he could not help but feeling slightly annoyed with her. He knew that it was too much to expect from an insensitive girl like Haruhi to jump in joy upon hearing his question in the first place. However, he definitely did not want her to look at him like he was just giving her the lamest joke ever when he clearly meant it in every single word he just said._

_After waiting in vain for a response from Haruhi, Kyouya lost all his patience when nervousness took the best of him all of a sudden._

_A deep frown could be seen vividly from his handsome face as he added, "For God's sake, please say _something_, Haruhi. I have even _waited_ for this damn rain just so I can ask you _that_." _

"_I don't understand, Sempai." _

_Kyouya pushed his glasses smudged with the water from the rain back to the bridge of his nose without bothered to conceal his frustration and a slight anger anymore. _

_His eyes were veiled behind it when he replied impatiently, "You said it yourself that you always like the rain; even when I honestly feel nothing from it beside wet, cold, and sticky all over my body. Therefore, I _stupidly _thought that it will only be_ perfect_ to ask you that question in this kind of insufferable weather as long as you like it."_

__

_However to add his annoyance further, Haruhi merely retorted him back, "No, I am not asking you that. I guess it's just that it never occurs to me to hear such question from you of all people in the first place. Why did you ask me to marry you all of a sudden like this, Sempai?" _

_Yet when Kyouya answered his tone was unnervingly calm, _"_That's quite obvious, isn't?". _

_Haruhi titled her head slightly in an obvious confusion. But before she had a chance to open her mouth, Kyouya had leaned his body forward. And when his face was very close to hers, she noticed there was an impish smirk apparent in there. _

_The next moment she knew was that her big amber eyes widened in surprise when the guy swept her in a passionate kiss soon after he whispered quietly in her ear, "It's a fair price that you have to pay me since I am the _only_ person who can prove to you that forever is _never_ enough, Haruhi." _

_--_

"_Forever_…" whispered Haruhi inaudibly as if she was trying to inject the meaning behind the word to herself.

From the big exquisite windows framed in white color she could see it was raining heavily outside; exactly the same like that day. Yet this time the scenery only made her eyes growing hot and her sight slightly blurred from the water that threatened to come out from them.

Haruhi averted her gaze quickly to anywhere but the windows. She inhaled her breath deeply as she stared at the hallway where she could see people wearing long white overcoats walked hurriedly.

"Haruhi!"

She turned around instantly to see a blond guy ran towards her direction with an obvious worried etched on his handsome face. He completely ignored the disapproving looks from the people around him and merely continued with his current action.

"I've been looking for you at your house but Ranka told me that you went here," said the blonde guy after he finally stood in front of her. His usual siliness was nowhere to be seen as he looked intently at the skinny girl with a long brunette hair standing before him.

"Akito-San asked me to meet him here. He said there's something he needs to discuss with me. I am…"

Haruhi did not have any chance to finish her words as at that exact time she noticed a guy whom bearing some resemblance with the person she missed most was walking serenely towards where she was standing at the moment.

"Tamaki-Kun, what a _pleasant_ surprise to see you here," said Akito as he smiled politely to the blonde guy although his smile failed to reach his grayish eyes.

Tamaki cringed a little upon hearing the words that the guy just said. He perfectly understood that '_pleasant_' would be the last word to describe the situation at the moment. Still, he somehow knew that he could not expect anything less than that from the second eldest son of Yoshio Ootori.

However, even before Tamaki managed to find a proper reply for the remark he got from the older guy, Akito had continued with the same coldness hinted in every word he said, "I suggest that we can go to my office straightaway. It will be more suitable for this particular occasion especially since I need to talk in private with you, Haruhi. You can come along if you want to, Tamaki-Kun. After all, you have the rights to know since I know that you're my brother's closest friend."

When Haruhi shot a quick glance at Tamaki, he noticed that she looked somewhat paler than usual and her big amber eyes seemed oddly hollow. He did not know since when his hand reached for hers nor did he care about it in the first place.

However, once he realized how cold her hand was, he instinctively squeezed it gently with his own for a second before answered, "Thanks, Akito-Kun. I will appreciate that."

--

There was a moment of a deafening silence filled up Akito's office. Both Haruhi and Tamaki merely looked at the guy who was sitting in front of him in a mixture between utter disbelief and horror.

When at last Haruhi found her voice back, it sounded peculiar even for her own ears and there was a faint tremble noticeable in it, "I am afraid I don't get you, Akito-San."

"We have decided to let him go, Haruhi. My father finally agreed with what Yojiri and I have suggested to him previously. This is the main reason why I called you here today," said Akito in a matter-of-factly tone. There was no trace of emotions could be heard from his voice; even for the slightest.

Tamaki frowned. He no longer cared whether he sounded impolite as the realization from Akito's words hit him.

"What do you _exactly_ mean by that, Akito-Kun?" asked Tamaki seriously as he kept on staring at Akito as if demanding for a reasonable answer.

"I believe both of you understand perfectly about my brother's condition. He's still unresponsive with all the different treatments we gave him. There's nothing else that we can do for him now. It's best for us to let him go since continuing this will only prolong his suffers."

Both Akito and Tamaki were startled as they heard Haruhi spoke firmly, "_No_."

"Pardon?" asked Akito with a frown shown on his face.

"I said no. I will _never_ let you do that to him," repeated Haruhi; there was no hint of hesitation in the way she gave her reply.

Haruhi straightened up from her seat almost at once after she finished her sentence and merely gave a courteous bow before she closed the door of the office behind her; leaving a remorseful Tamaki and a slightly annoyed Akito stunned by her sudden action.

For a moment she leaned her back against the door and let the tears streamed quietly from her big amber eyes before she wiped them harshly with the back of her hands and walked to one quiet hallway which led to the only room occupied that place.

--

The room could pass as a president suite of any five stars hotel effortlessly. It had been decorated extravagantly with large windows that almost reached the ceilings and a double-door right at the center. A broad European-styled balcony could be seen straightaway from it.

The white and almost transparent curtains veiled the slightly open windows were flowing along the rhythms of the winds that blew softly in between the gaps. There was a set of leather settees in the middle of the room with one expensive looking painting hung on the wall behind it. Located not very far from the couch was an exquisite bed with its heavy lidded curtains entangled neatly at each side of the bedposts.

And there he was, laid in the bed with his onyx eyes closed as if he was only deep in his sleep; Kyouya Ootori, her fiancée.

Yet unlike any other days, Haruhi noticed there was nobody else in the room. No doctors, nurses, or SPs like usual. It was just like their inexistence in there only confirming further what Akito just said in his office; that they had finally given up their hope on waiting the youngest son of the Ootori clan to ever regain his consciousness.

--

Haruhi walked slowly towards the bed with the quietest steps she could muster as if she merely did not wake the guy up from his sleep.

She sat carefully next to the sleeping figure and took a quick glance at the small monitor beside the bed which shown irregular green lines and dots and emitting a faint beeping sound.

Her gaze changed swiftly to the liquid substance of the IV tube dripping at a very slow pace into Kyouya's arm veins instead as she bit her lower lip slightly. There was no sparks left in her amber eyes as they were being replaced by evident sadness once she stared at him.

She caressed his cold and pallid face gently with her thin fingers as she leaned forward to get a better sight of him from her somewhat blurry vision.

And a single drop of tears fell helplessly on that face as she whispered quietly to the sleeping figure, "You still owe me your promise, Kyouya Ootori. I will not let you escape from your responsibility that easily."

However, her heart almost missed a beat when she could hear a familiar voice _behind_ her. She had not heard it for quite some time yet it seemed like she only missed it for a mere one day.

"I _never_ intend to break my promise, Haruhi."

When Haruhi turned to look at the source of the voice, her body suddenly froze on the spot.

There he was; standing next to the edge of the exquisite bed with his trademark smirk etched vividly on his flawless face like what he always did whenever he teased her. Yet when he stared at her, Haruhi noticed that there was a different kind of emotion lingered in those pair of onyx eyes although she failed to pinpoint exactly what it was.

And after some painful moment of silence, she could barely whisper any other words besides, "Kyouya…"

-- to be continued --

**A/N:** It's very tragically funny as a couple days ago I thought of giving up my writing as well as my other hobbies with all the hectic life I have lately. But the idea of this story suddenly popped out from my mind out of the blue and my hand has been itching to write it since then.

As you might notice, this story portrays Haruhi and Kyouya's relationship in a very different angle than 'Looking for the Perfect Nanny.' Nevertheless, I hope you like this one as well. Please give your comments and reviews, guys. Cheers!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ouran is not mine.

**The Ghost of You**

_It only took a moment to know that I would love you for the rest of my life, but it would take a lifetime to tell you all the reasons why._

-- Belleange Huertas --

**Chapter 1**

For Haruhi, memories were just like raindrops. Depended on the surfaces they were falling into, they would either quickly evaporate to the ground or simply turn into a larger pool of water. But they were never entirely gone as they merely adaptable with the circumstances facing them at that particular moment.

Nevertheless, memories were never meant to be forgotten. Although seemingly vanished and hardly remembered anymore; somehow they lingered and buried deeply inside the person's mind, waiting for the remembrance to be rekindled one day.

And when the memory returned back to her once again; it also brought along all its attributes, reviving the same bittersweet feelings in her just like it used to be.

"_I suggest you to leave me alone when I am still _civil_, Kyouya," stated Haruhi blatantly. Her big amber eyes sparkling with some incoherent emotions and a faint blush crept in her fair cheeks by the time she finished her sentence. _

_Kyouya sighed inaudibly as he stared at the girl with the shoulder length hair in front of him. At that moment there was nothing much he ever did except kept on staring at her for a second longer before he finally said, "Do you really mean with what you just said, Haruhi?"_

"_Yes. Every word of it…" retorted Haruhi angrily. The sparkle in her eyes became even more apparent once she finished her sentence. _

_Kyouya pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose unnecessarily, trying to conceal his somewhat rising anger. Although his face was impassive, a hint of impatience could be heard in his voice as he stated, "Listen, Haruhi; as a student majoring in law you must have known that every decision brings its own consequences. And as you can see, there are some expectations that need to be met as my fiancée in order for you to be… ah… _accepted_ by the high-end society where you soon become a part of it."_

"_Thanks for reminding me about the _stupidest _mistake I ever made in my life, Kyouya," answered Haruhi bluntly. She averted her gaze from him and chose to see the large hall with a round dance floor right in the middle of it instead. From the balcony where both of them standing at the moment, she could hear the orchestra playing some waltz music as some of the people began to dance with their partners. _

_Kyouya could not help but frowning once he heard Haruhi's last sentence and only managed to say, "_Pardon?"

"_It's clearly my mistake to accept your proposal to begin with, Kyouya. Both of us should have realized it much sooner that we were _never_ meant to be together; it's a foolish thought to ever think so in the first place," explained Haruhi much too simply still without looking at him. _

_By the time Kyouya spoke once again, his voice was oddly calm although his expression somewhat showed otherwise, "And can you enlighten me _why_ you have to think that way, Haruhi?"_

_Yet when Haruhi turned her head slightly to look at him once again, his expression had turned back to his usual aloofness. _

_There was a slight hesitation in Haruhi's tone as she answered with her usual straightforwardness, "Because that's the truth, Kyouya. I always wonder whether you truly see me for who I really am since I have my own reasonable doubts every time you speak about me in front of those people. Somehow it makes me think that it probably will be much easier for you to find a more _suitable _girl to be your wife rather than attempting to change me into someone befits with your idealism as what you've been trying to portray me in all the parties we attended." _

"_This is obviously not a right time for you to behave so childishly, Haruhi. You must know the importance of this party is way greater than arguing over such trivial matters. Surely I will be more than happy to entertain you by continuing our arguments if necessary in a more appropriate time and venue. Nevertheless, you can stay here to cool down your emotion and I will take you home as soon as I manage to get the deal done."_

"_There's no need for you to trouble yourself, Kyouya. I am perfectly capable of going home all by myself. And by the way, you're right when you said that every decision bears its own consequences. Yet you forgot to mention the possibility to void a decision when one feels the necessities for it" _

_Before Kyouya could give any responses to what Haruhi just said, a guy with black suit appeared in front of them and bowed courteously as he said, "They are looking for you, Ootori-Sama."_

_Kyouya pushed his glasses lightly and spoke in much gentler tone, "Just wait for me here, Haruhi. I will be back soon." _

_Kyouya never waited for Haruhi to say anything as he walked towards the hall to greet several important-looking people. Soon enough, Haruhi noticed a perfect smile appeared on the guy's handsome face as he gallantly made a toast with them. _

_Somehow upon watching that scenery, Haruhi could not help but sighed a little as if she finally made up her mind. And without ever looking back to see whether Kyouya had realized that she was gone, Haruhi withdrew herself from the crowded party quietly; leaving her fiancée behind. _

--

Haruhi opened her big amber eyes wide in a start only to find a pair of bright colored eyes staring anxiously at her. Before she could register whom those eyes belonged to; a word escaped from her dry mouth, "Kyouya…"

"Haruhi, thank God you're finally awake. My heart almost stopped beating when I saw you lying unconscious next to Kyouya. I thought you've done something stupid after what Akito-Kun said earlier in his office," said Tamaki sounded thoroughly relieved. He slowly wiped the sweat from Haruhi's forehead in an affectionate gesture and leaned forward to kiss her pale cheek lightly a moment later.

"Where am I?" asked Haruhi in a hoarse voice as she tried to get up from her current position only to be stopped by Tamaki's strong grip on her shoulder a second later.

"You're in emergency ward, Haruhi. I have to bring you here to let the doctors examine you after you fainted," explained Tamaki amiably without leaving his gaze from the girl.

There was a visible confusion in Haruhi's eyes upon hearing Tamaki's words. Yet she did not give any comments and merely glanced quickly at her surrounding as if looking for somebody before asking Tamaki once again, "Where's Kyouya?"

Tamaki did not reply her straightaway and chose to stroke Haruhi's brunette hair gently instead before speaking quietly, "No need to worry, Haruhi. I have talked to Akito-Kun and managed to convince him to put the matter on hold… at least for the time being."

By the time Tamaki finished his sentence, he looked more worried than ever as he kept on staring at Haruhi. Yet much to his surprise, she gave him a sweet smile and spoke in much cheerful tone, "No, we don't have to convince anyone anymore, Tamaki-Sempai. Haven't you seen Kyouya in his room? He finally woke up…"

For a second Tamaki could not help but looking completely aghast upon hearing the explanation from Haruhi. There was no words coming out from his mouth as he withdrew his hands from her and straightened himself up.

He averted his gaze from the girl and balled both of his hands into fists when he finally spoke once again, "I know how much you miss him since I feel the same way like you do. I also really hope that he would wake up and tell us that he just made fun of us by sleeping a tad longer than what he normally does. There was one time I could swear I saw him sitting beside me in our dull Business Economics class, concentrating with all his might and taking notes just like usual. But it's unreal and only a mere wishful thinking, Haruhi."

Haruhi shook her head a little in disbelief and took off the IV tube from her wrist in a careless manner before she stood up beside a startled looking Tamaki in the next moment.

"No, you don't understand Tamaki-Sempai. I really saw him standing close to me in his room. I have to get back there right now; you know how impatient he is when it comes to waiting."

At that point something very much like hurt and pains etched vividly on Tamaki's face for a fracture second. There was a hint of sadness in his voice when he said, "Let me drive you home, you really need some good rest. The doctors said the reason why you fainted is because lack of sleep and malnutrition. You need to treat yourself better than that, Haruhi. I really _hate_ to see you like this and I am sure so does Kyouya."

Exasperation could be seen on Haruhi's beautiful face as she retorted Tamaki in a slightly agitated tone, "I don't understand why you don't believe me, Tamaki-Sempai. We can go to Kyouya's room to prove that I am right when I said that I saw him woke up."

Tamaki looked at Haruhi for a couple of seconds longer as if he was contemplating with his mind on what he should do next before he said, "If that makes you feeling better then we can go to his room. But you have to promise me that you will take care of yourself better. I don't want to ever find you lying unconscious again, Haruhi…"

Yet Tamaki never got his answer since the girl had bolted from the room even before he got a chance to finish his sentence in the next moment.

--

Tamaki shot a worried glance at Haruhi when he finally managed to chase her on the way towards the quiet corridor and halted his steps almost at once when both of them reached the only room existed in there.

Yet without even aware of Tamaki's uneasiness, Haruhi walked past him and entered the same elegant room once again without further ado. However this time never bothered to tone down her steps as she paced quickly towards the exquisite bed in there.

Instinctively, her heartbeat fastened as her sight stumbled into the sleeping figure of Kyouya and hastened her steps almost instantly. She leaned her body forward to have a better look of him and hesitantly touched his pale face once again.

At that moment, somehow there was a sudden feeling of emptiness growing inside her once her trembling fingers felt nothing but the exact same coldness as they came in contact with his pallid skin. Yet she never realized that precisely at that moment she was not the only one who ever felt that way.

--

Tamaki took quite some time standing nearby the expensive settee while staring intently at Haruhi with aberrant expression on his face. He sighed inaudibly before walking towards the girl who would always be the center of his life yet unreachable all the same. Still, the girl did not show any slightest inclinations that she was even aware of his presence next to her even with his hand squeezed her shoulder gently.

Haruhi's gaze never left Kyouya even for a mere second as she stroked his jet-black hair carefully. There was an edge in her voice when she finally opened her mouth only to whisper inaudibly, "Please wake up, Kyouya. You need to tell me that it wasn't only a dream. You know how much I want to see you alive and healthy again. Kyouya…"

There was an excruciating pang in Tamaki's chest as he heard Haruhi talked to Kyouya in such a way that was so much unlike the girl he knew all along. Yet there was a tint of uncharacteristic sadness glimmering in his eyes once they met the sleeping figure of his best friend whom still had the undivided attention from the only girl who could make his heart beat faster. And somehow that scenery alone had made him really wished that they could exchange roles for once no matter how egoistical it might seem.

"Let's go, Haruhi," said Tamaki in the end. He could not help but feeling restless once he heard a faint sob escaped from Haruhi's mouth.

"Kyouya…" called Haruhi impatiently. There was a slight exasperation in her voice as she shook Kyouya's shoulder lightly.

"Haruhi please don't be like this," said Tamaki in apparent worries as he tried to stop her actions that might end up hurting Kyouya instead. He caught both of her arms and hugged her in a tight embrace a moment later as if trying to lessen her pains.

"I swear I saw him in here looking perfectly healthy, Tamaki-Sempai," replied Haruhi while trying to sound cheerful. She averted her gaze from the blonde guy as her eyes growing hotter by the time she finished her sentence.

"Come on, Haruhi, let Kyouya gets some rests," asked Tamaki for the second time around still in the same gentle voice. Without giving any comments on her words he merely helped her to walk away from the bed.

And after persisting to give Kyouya her last glance, finally Haruhi agreed to leave his fiancée alone in the quietness of that gorgeous room once again. Yet at that exact moment, neither Tamaki or Haruhi was aware that a pair of onyx eyes had been staring intently at them for quite some time from behind the heavy lidded curtains of the bedposts with an unspeakable hurt and forlorn bared in there.

--

Haruhi startled a bit when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She had lost in her own thoughts as she stared at nothing in particular outside the black tinted window of the limousine. However, her gaze softened a bit once they met Tamaki's bright colored eyes. For some reasons unknown to her, the blonde guy had been very quiet for the whole time they were inside the limousine. Yet she had no strength whatsoever to fill in the silence by starting any kinds of conversations with him especially after what had happened previously.

"We have reached your apartment, Haruhi," said Tamaki simply with a warm smile visible on his handsome face.

Haruhi looked at him for a second longer before she smiled back at him and said, "Thank you very much for your help today, Tamaki-Sempai."

Without much thinking, she stepped out from the limousine soon after the chauffeur opened the door. However, before she could walk away from the vehicle, her steps halted as she heard Tamaki's voice once again, "I will pick you up tomorrow as usual, Haruhi."

The same sweet smile reappeared in Haruhi's pale face as she turned back to face Tamaki whom was busily staring at her from the window of his limousine. Her voice was much lighter when she answered him with her usual bluntness, "There's no need for you to continue doing that, Tamaki-Sempai. In case you forget; we have different campuses and you know that you will never be able to go to your own classes on time if you always persist on accompanying me to all my classes."

However on the next second Haruhi's smile vanished only being replaced by a slight frown on her face once she noticed the usual dejected look on Tamaki whenever she rejected his wish. And she could only sigh deeply by the time she amended her answer with, "But if it really makes you happy then I don't see any reasons to decline your offer; at least for the time being, Tamaki-Sempai."

Almost instantly, Tamaki nodded his head in ecstasy as he stared at Haruhi with his bright colored eyes once again. Yet Haruhi failed to notice the obvious difference in Tamaki's tone by the time the guy spoke once again in a way that was so unlike him, "Get a good rest tonight and don't think too much about what happened today, Haruhi. I will ask my chef to prepare your favorite ootoro for our bento tomorrow."

For the first time that day Haruhi chuckled softly upon hearing Tamaki's words. She was still chuckling slightly by the time she said, "I've been telling you almost everyday that I think I am old enough to prepare my own bento, Sempai. You don't have to trouble your poor chef for such unnecessary thing."

Yet it did not need to take a long time for Haruhi to feel the need to adjust her answer when for the second time around the same disconsolate look reappeared on Tamaki's face.

"But of course if your chef really has nothing much to do then I suppose he can cook anything for my bento tomorrow, Sempai."

--

The hallway towards her apartment was quite dark with as the night began to creep in replacing the murky afternoon earlier that day. Although the rain had stopped even before she stepped out of Tamaki's limousine, Haruhi still could see the traces of water on the handrail of the staircase leading to her apartment. Somehow it made her keen to sliding her fingers playfully against it and felt the coldness of the water on her skin as she climbed the stairs and walked towards the empty corridor.

She was still busily shaking her head in disbelief while mumbling some incoherent words about rich people's self-centered acts and childishness when a familiar voice greeted her. Somehow the fair hint of sarcasm in the way the person spoke to her had made her heart almost missed a beat.

"What took you so long, Haruhi? Don't tell me that you forget your wallet _again_?"

There was a deep sigh coming out from Haruhi as she quickened her pace without even bothered to find the source of the voice. Yet she no longer had any strength to feign her ignorance when the same voice spoke once again from a closer distance than before, "I was under the impression that you want to see me again, Haruhi. But it seems that I was _wrong_ after all."

Haruhi gritted her teeth slightly and muttered under her breath as she continued walking a moment later, "Great, now I am starting to have a constant hallucination. Let's see what I am capable of once you really awake from your _slumber_, Kyouya Ootori."

Yet Haruhi could no longer hide her annoyance when she heard a soft chuckle from behind her and turned around only to see a tall figure of a man half-hidden beneath the ominous shadow of the dark corridor.

Nevertheless, she was lost for words and could not decide what to do next once the guy took a step closer to her only to reveal an apparent smirk etched vividly on his flawless face.

At that particular moment, standing before her was none other than her supposed-to-be bedridden fiancée whom she believed she just left him alone inside his exquisite room in less than an hour before.

"You… What are you doing here, Kyouya?" stammered Haruhi as she tried to make sense the whole situation facing her at the moment. She could hear her heartbeats racing as she continued staring at him while her mind muddled with the thoughts that she had finally lost her sanity completely after hearing what Akito had said back in his office.

It did not need to be a genius for Kyouya to realize that he had managed to give Haruhi a surprise of her life. There was no trace of taunts on his face by the time he noticed that the girl was staring at him with even paler face and heavier breaths than before as if she was struggling to remain conscious.

Kyouya's voice was gentle yet sounded slightly remorseful when he finally opened his mouth to speak once again in a matter-of-factly tone, "I am here because leaving you behind is _never_ an option for me, Haruhi."

Somehow upon hearing those words coming from his mouth, Haruhi felt her eyes growing hotter yet there was a faint smile etched on her beautiful face all the same.

As a person who always perceived everything based on rationality and logical thinking, Haruhi knew probably it was only another fragment of her past or a mere sad dream that kept on hoping to see Kyouya with all his usual snide again no matter how impossible it might seem. Yet for the first time in her life, she could not care less about any of them. For now, the fact that Kyouya was standing right before her was much more important than anything else in the world.

--

_Although the corridor leading towards her apartment was quite dark with only dim yellowish lights from the small bulbs hanging on the ceiling, Haruhi still could see a familiar tall figure standing in front of her doorstep. _

"_You… What are you doing here, Kyouya?" asked Haruhi sounded slightly astonished with the unexpected presence of the guy especially considering how late it was at that moment. _

_Kyouya did not bother himself to give any answers once he noticed how messy and exhausted Haruhi was at that time. There was nothing much he did in the next moment besides glaring at the girl's bare feet and the high heels in her hand with an unreadable expression on his face. _

_After staring at her for a second longer, finally Kyouya spoke with a faint displeasure hinted in his tone, "What took you so long, Haruhi? Do you know how worried I am when I realized that you've gone from the party _without_ even informing me beforehand?"_

_Haruhi merely gave an unconcerned little shrug as she tried to walk away only to be blocked by Kyouya. Left with no other choice than to give him some reasonable explanations, finally she answered wryly, "I have accidentally left my wallet in your limousine so I didn't have any other options besides walking home."_

"_For God's sake you could have called me. I have clearly asked you to wait for me but you obviously _trying_ my patience. Don't you realize how unsafe it is for a girl to walk all by herself in the middle of the night like this?" snapped Kyouya a little too quickly without bothering himself to tone down his volume while his onyx eyes gleaming dangerously. _

_Haruhi stared at Kyouya with an exasperated look on her face as she whispered angrily, "Please mind your volume, Kyouya; as you wisely said that it's already past midnight and some people in here are obviously trying to get some decent sleep around this timing. Besides, at any rate it's my right to decide how I should or should not do during both daytime and nighttime."_

_Kyouya shot Haruhi with his usual calculating look before he stated in the same intimidating tone that he had used previously, "I know that you're still upset with me but it's clearly beyond immature to put your safety at risks just because of it. You can yell or scream or even kick me when you're mad but I will never tolerate _any _repetitions of this kind of irresponsible action _again _in the future, Haruhi." _

_Haruhi snorted, "Yeah, right since it is downright _mature_ to dictate other person's life even when she clearly never appreciates that kind of _action_ in the first place." _

_Kyouya let out an inaudible sigh and looked even more menacing by the time he said, "I have failed to understand why you have to be so mad at me over such a simple matter. You have to know that changes are unavoidable especially when you're dealing with the high-end society, Haruhi." _

_There was no sign of fear or hesitation when Haruhi bluntly replied, "But have you _ever_ considered that probably I don't want to deal with such society in the first place, Kyouya?" _

_Haruhi's words made Kyouya stunned for a second yet he did not utter any words and merely lowered his head to avert his gaze from the girl._

"_And somehow that gives you _enough_ reasons to break up with me, Haruhi?" asked Kyouya quietly after some painful moment of silence with his onyx eyes veiled behind his bangs._

_The words that just came from Kyouya's mouth had made Haruhi speechless. And as she stared intently at the guy standing before her, she could feel her heart squirmed with guilt even when there was no words coming from her mouth. _

"_I will take my leave then, Haruhi. Have a good rest," stated Kyouya dryly after he spent another good minute in a futile attempt of waiting for Haruhi to fill the silence between them._

_At that moment for some unknown reasons, there was something amiss within her once Haruhi watched Kyouya leave. And as if her bare feet was moving of their own accord, she paced her steps to stop him in the next moment. _

_Kyouya's steps halted almost at once when he could feel Haruhi touched his arm gently. Yet he did not bother to turn around to face the girl whom still clutching the materials of his expensive overcoat._

"_No," stated Haruhi simply after a second later. _

_Still without looking at her, Kyouya asked softly, "Pardon?" _

_A soft laugh escaped from Haruhi's mouth as she added, "I guess they're _not _good enough, Kyouya." _

_There was a strange gleam apparent on Kyouya's onyx eyes and a faint smirk resurfaced on his flawless face when he spoke once again, "I must say that I am glad to hear you said that, Haruhi. Yet it's quite obvious that there's no assurance for such argument to never recur in the future."_

_His smirk became even more visible by the time he heard Haruhi answered with her usual candidness, "You can have my assurance as long as you _stop _perfecting me, Kyouya."_

_Somehow those words were more than enough for Kyouya. Besides, she would not be Haruhi after all if she ever failed to amuse him with her blatant arguments and inexplicable behaviors. Yet there was nothing wrong to recalculate his actions more carefully next time for he really never wanted to lose her even with all the riches and reputation the world might offer to him in return. _

_And as Kyouya turned around to embrace her, Haruhi could hear him whisper mockingly in her ear, "You _have_ my promise, Haruhi."_

-- to be continued --

**A/N:** I hope you will like this chapter. Please leave your comments and reviews.

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my previous chapter, let me know what you think of this chapter; **Master of Disguise**, **BlackBlaze**, **MxAzingxSpork**, **fruiti-chan**, **SnowCharms**, **GoGothGirl**, **mamoru-kun**, **tears of redemption**, **glazedeyes**, **wiwionly**, **Reason**, **…**, **Death's-Razor-Blade**, **al2010**, **PA0PU**, **Lil** **Miss Rainie**, **don't ask it'll just confuse u**, **AnaChi-Chan**, **ColourfulKyouya-SenpaiMaybeNot**, **MischievousPuck**, **blueducky511**.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Ouran belongs to Bisco Hatori. I can only claim for the plotline part.

**The Ghost of You**

_If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world._

-- Mercedes Lackey --

**Chapter 2**

Haruhi had had enough listening to people telling her how her life was like a fairytale. She knew perfectly it was not. It would never be.

There was a big difference between fairytale and real life. In real life, nobody, not even her, had the privileges to turn back time to undone things that they had done no matter how much they wanted it or how much sacrifice they were willing to give to obtain it.

She also understood only too well that it was only in fairytales where every story would have a perfect happy ending. That no matter how difficult life was, everything would be alright in the end.

If only it was as simple as that.

If only.

She had repeated those two words much too often lately.

If only she knew that things would have turned up this way, she would have done many more things for him.

If only she was given more time, she would have kept her bluntness to herself; so that he would never be hurt because of her words.

And if only she could see him again, she would have told him how she truly felt about him. That she no longer needed his assurance of how he felt about her.

It was not important at all.

It probably never was since the very beginning.

She should have known it right from the start. Yet she only realised it when it was far too late.

Because no matter what the answers were, her feeling would remain the same: that she was in love with him. It was as simple as that.

And probably because of its simplicity, it was even more painful for her to remember some memories where trivial things seemed utterly important but now it no longer held any values.

--

_There were __far too many newspapers and tabloids scattered all over the living room of Haruhi's tiny apartment. They were telling the same stories of the engagement between Kyouya Ootori, the recently chosen heir of the Ootori Zaibatsu with the commoner girl named Haruhi Fujioka. Some even blatantly wrote that their wedding would be 'The Wedding of the Century,' with all the top-notch fashion designers, photographers and wedding planners were more than ready to provide their services without any fee for they knew that they would obtain worldwide publication by doing that. _

_Haruhi did not know when those reporters took her pictures, with or without Kyouya.__ Nonetheless, they had managed to make her felt exposed, fragile and oddly insecure. But it was nothing as compared to how she hated all the articles that kept on mentioning her as a modern Cinderella who was very lucky to live a fairytale life. _

"_Don't you feel at the very least disturbed to know that no newspaper or tabloid that doesn't have__ any pictures of us or our stories, Kyouya?" Haruhi grumbled as she slammed the tabloid she just read on the table with more force than needed which made some of Kyouya's documents flew to the opposite direction. She could feel her blood shot up by the time she read the articles inside that particular tabloid which gave its own version of speculations on how she managed to tie down one of the most eligible bachelors in Japan._

"_Since when do you care about small and insignificant details, Haruhi?" asked Kyouya without looking at her. He still fully concentrated on typing some important memos for the next general meeting that would be conducted in couple of days later. It was quite hard for him to type with his legs crossed under the low dining table as Haruhi's living room was using tatami instead of the modern European style like his own house. _

_But lately they had been quarrelling more often than usual after __the news about their engagement broke out, in which most of the times resulted in Haruhi avoiding him for days. Besides, considering Haruhi's pigheadedness, it was good enough if he could see her at all. Therefore, asking her to go to his mansion was definitely out of the question. It was lucky enough for him to have Ranka on his side, as most of the times he would be the one who helped him setting up coincidental meetings with his daughter just like that day. _

_Haruhi sighed. It was just like Kyouya to give her such reply. __"It was not small and insignificant for me, Kyouya. You should have known me better that I do not like things to blow out of proportion like this."_

_Kyouya stopped typing at once. He knew he just gave Haruhi a very wrong answer at the worst timing possible. There was a second of hesitation before Kyouya__ looked at Haruhi with wariness etched on his perfect complexion. He was definitely not in the mood for another pointless row with her. _

"_How can you be so sure that you love me, Kyouya? What makes you think that way?"__ The question was straightforward and asked in a matter-of-factly tone, as though not more important than a newscaster reciting the weather forecast for the day._

_Kyouya could not believe his ears. How she even dared to ask him such question when the whole world had witnessed how much she meant for him. _

_Kyouya pushed his glasses to the brink of his nose before he said, "Why do you have to ask that question now, Haruhi?"_

_Haruhi sighed__ and rubbed her temple in a vain attempt to chase away her migraine which seemed to worsen after reading all the news about her and all kinds of speculations that followed them. _

"_I am not so sure either__ why I have to fuss over such thing. But it really bugs me lately for not knowing the real answer of why you chose me instead of some girls who are more suitable for you." She said, finally decided to ask the question that was haunting her ever since she saw her pictures on the newspaper._

"_How can you know that they are more suitable than you?" Kyouya raised his eyebrow. There was a hint of amusement __mixed with hurt veiled carefully behind his onyx eyes._

"_They are rich." Haruhi replied simply. Her big amber eyes were twinkling as she looked deeply at Kyouya's onyx ones. _

_Kyouya scowled. There were nobody else besides her ever dared to stared at him that way. She was probably the only girl who saw him as Kyouya instead of an Ootori. It amused him and at the same time annoying the hell out of him._

"_Well, my riches are more than enough for the two of us."_

_It was probably due to her migraine that Haruhi missed the sarcasms in Kyouya's answer. Therefore, she merely pursed her lips as she spoke quietly, "They have more merits than me." _

"_Merits have many facets, Haruhi. Probably you __just have not realised what your merits are for me yet," answered Kyouya patiently. Experiences had taught him the hard way that patience was the only solution to settle arguments with his fiancée. _

"_What is that? My plebeian background, I assume?" Haruhi blurted out without thinking. She had wanted to say something smarter than that but her brains failed her for once. _

_Haruhi could feel her heart beat strangely faster than usual as she heard Kyouya say, __"I can always continue my live even without you, Haruhi. But one thing I can be sure of; I will _never_ be the same Kyouya Ootori who can be contented with just being me. Is that answer good enough for you?"_

_Yet it took only a second for her to feel thoroughly like a moron as she heard __Kyouya snickered. _

"_You're a jerk, Kyouya Ootori. How can you lie to me over such thing?"__ Haruhi frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively. She was angry not to mention quite embarrassed to believe with what that guy had said just like some rabid fan girls that she knew the guy had all along._

_There was a faint smirk on Kyouya's flawless face as he leaned forward __as though he was trying to steal a kiss from her; probably to make up for his words. But Haruhi was too quick for him as she noticed what he was trying to do and avoided him at the right moment. _

_Kyouya only looked at Haruhi's back as the girl was pretending to be busily arranging the newspaper and tabloids scattered around them. There was a hint of a smile in his flawless face as he spoke quietly__ to himself, "If only it was a lie, Haruhi."_

--

"Have you finished looking at me, Haruhi? Or should I give you more time to gawk? I must admit that I do not mind even the least." Kyouya's icy voice could be heard once again from the empty hallway. He looked effortlessly handsome like usual in his white attire as he gazed at the petite girl before him.

Haruhi felt her mouth suddenly dry. "Are you really... Kyouya?"

A faint smirk resurfaced from Kyouya's handsome figure. It was as though he was waiting for the girl to ask the question.

"I guess based on the way you gawked at me just now, your subconscious mind did not have any inclinations to think otherwise. But to make things simpler for you, yes, I am Kyouya."

"But how can it be? Are you really recovered, Kyouya?" Haruhi hesitated. It was really difficult for her to believe that the guy was really standing in front of her after what had happened at his ward earlier that afternoon.

Yet before Kyouya had the chance to say anything, Haruhi's thin lips curved into a smile as though a sudden understanding hit her and mused to herself, "It's amazing. I must tell everyone that you're finally awake. Fuyumi-Neechan has been crying for you a lot, I think it's better for me to call her now."

She tried to reach the doorknob of her small apartment and missed to see the sadness that suddenly resurfaced in those pair of onyx eyes before her after she completed her sentences.

"Ah... and Tamaki-Sempai. He will be ecstatic when he hears this news. You do not know how worried he was all the while you're in the hospital."

Kyouya frowned. It was difficult to comprehend his feelings at the moment. Yet upon hearing the name of his best friend's brought back the previous scene between him and Haruhi. And a twinge of unexplainable jealousy was bubbling inside him for some reasons.

"I am afraid things are not as simple as what you think, Haruhi." Kyouya's voice seemed colder than before when he spoke.

"What do you mean, Kyouya?"

Before Haruhi could hear her answer, the door of her apartment swung open.

"Haru-Chan, you're back. Did you meet Tamaki in the hospital? He went here earlier to look for you," Ranka said as he looked at his daughter's thin face in apparent worries.

Haruhi did not pay much attention to what her father said and merely replied distractedly, "Ah... Yes, I met him and he sent me home."

"That blonde guy can be useful at times like these. So where's he? I thought I've heard your voice so I came out to check," asked Ranka as he took a glance around the empty hallway. Yet there was no sign of that blonde guy anywhere near the vicinity.

"He went home straightaway after he dropped me off, Dad. Besides, that's not the point. Look who's just back," said Haruhi quickly, there was a bright smile etched on her beautiful face.

Ranka coughed as he almost forgot how to breathe upon looking at his daughter face. He had not seen Haruhi crack even the faintest smile ever since what had happened with Kyouya. Yet he was worried when he looked at the direction that Haruhi pointed out.

"Who are you talking about, Haruhi?" Ranka asked carefully as he studied the expression of his only daughter.

Haruhi stared at her father in disbelief. She could not believe that her father apparently still had the mood to joke around with her. Kyouya was standing so close with her, so it was impossible for him not to see that guy standing there.

"Of course it's Kyouya, Dad. Stop joking around. It's not funny anymore."

Ranka eyes widened as he heard what Haruhi just said. He felt a sinking feeling as he observed his daughter's pale face. She had changed too much in such short span of time and yet there was nothing he could do to return back things as they were used to be.

"Dad..."

Haruhi did not like the way her father stared at her after she finished her sentence. There was too much incomprehensible understanding in his eyes that made her feel like she was still a little girl.

Yet it was nothing compared to what she heard next from no other than Kyouya himself.

"Forget it, Haruhi. This is what I was trying to say to you earlier. Aside from you, nobody else is able to see me."

--

For a second Haruhi's mind went blank. She must have heard wrongly of what Kyouya just said. That was just not right. She could never accept such excuse. It was so absurd and yet she could feel the dreadful pang prickled her heart as she failed to think any single reasons why Kyouya had to lie to her.

"What do you mean nobody else can see you, Kyouya?" Haruhi asked, her voice sounded distant and her throat was burning. She bit her lower lip as though preventing herself from crying. She had felt her eyes grow hotter and she did not want to make it worse by breaking down in front of him. Her pride would never allow that to happen, especially now that he looked perfectly healthy and unharmed. It was plainly wrong.

Ranka tried to reach his daughter's shoulder only to be shoved off unconsciously by her. It seemed that Haruhi was not talking to him but to the open space next to her, in which she thought she was talking to Kyouya.

Tamaki had called him earlier and told him what had happened inside Akito's office along with the incident in Kyouya's room which followed soon after that. He would have thought that Tamaki was only exaggerating things as usual if only he did not see the way Haruhi behaved at the moment. She must have been deeply hurt that she chose to live in denial rather than admitting the fact that Kyouya was still in comatose instead.

"Haruhi..."

Something in Ranka's hoarse voice had brought back Haruhi's attention to him.

"Dad..." She did not have the chance to finish her sentence as Ranka pulled her closer and gave her a tight hug.

"Let's get inside quickly, Haruhi. It's freezing outside, I have made your favourite stew. Your body is so cold. You should eat now or you will catch cold again like last week."

Haruhi let herself being dragged by her father as she felt all her strength had been drained from her body.

Yet before the front door closed, from the corner of her eyes she could still see Kyouya stood still next to the railing of the hallway with an unreadable expression illustrated on his flawless face.

_-- to be continued __--_

A/N: Sorry for the long update guys. I have been too busy writing 'Looking for the Perfect Nanny' and 'the Probability is Zero' that I do not have enough time to write a new chapter for this story. I can only promise you that I will write the next chapter faster than this if you still want to know how the story goes.

Which story of mine do you think I should update first?

I feel so productive I can do anything at the moment, LOL. Probably it's simply because I just tried the Detox Water Therapy earlier this evening with my best friend. It really works especially after attending a long not to mention dreadful training from 9am to 6pm today (and will continue tomorrow at the same timing).

Thanks a lot for your generous supports and reviews:

**aquitaineg, Terry-May, Black Firelight, anonymous, cowgirlkitten2000, iruka92, Lady Of Light 4 the elves, Evenstar Phoenix, Dark Angel of Pain and Chaos, Sleeping Rain, Night Beauty, BlackBlaze, CyanideTearsx3, wiwionly, dawn, SnowCharms, pink will never be red, Kyou-Fan, DevilHeart13, Xan, Anne, Kalachuchi, obsessive me, take-alook-at-my-deadly-fangs, ****ColourfulKyouya-SenpaiMaybeNot, MischievousPuck.**


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